York Fire 85% contained, crews work to preserve Nevada national monument

The fire burning southwest of Las Vegas was 85 percent contained as of Friday morning, according to an emergency management website.

An InciWeb update showed the York Fire had burned through more than 93,000 acres since it started July 28 on the Mojave National Preserve and moved northeast.

Authorities still expected to extinguish the fire by Aug. 14, according to the InciWeb data, and a cause had not been determined.

U.S. Forest Service spokesperson Marc Peebles said earlier this week that nearly 9,000 acres of the fire was in Nevada, and it had crossed into the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument. On Wednesday, firefighters were consulting wildlife experts to preserve as much of the natural landscape as possible.

Avi Kwa Ame is considered one of the most sacred places on Earth to about a dozen Yuman-speaking tribes that have traced their origins to the land.

The forest service said ground crews are doing most of the battle, but air support was available if needed.

“The joint effort to suppress the York Fire is a testament to the abilities of wildfire emergency resources,” the forest service wrote on InciWeb. “The involvement of the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, USDA Forest Service, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), San Bernardino County Fire Protection District, and Clark County Fire highlights the scale of the fire and the need for extensive resources to tackle it effectively.”

Gusty winds, 90-degree temperatures and low humidity is expected around the fire through the weekend.

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.